Stave Island is great for:

How to get there

The shortest access is from the harbor and boat launch in South Gouldsboro, but the preserve is also easily accessible from any of the many boat launches around Frenchman Bay.

Get directions from Google Maps
Printable preserve map (622KB PDF)

Notes on topography, flora, and fauna

Located in eastern Frenchman Bay, 499-acre Stave Island is 0.3 mile west of the mainland in the town of Gouldsboro. MCHT’s Stave Island Preserve is 121 acres and covers the southern tip of the island. The land north of the preserve is privately owned, the bulk of which is protected with conservation easements held by MCHT.

Stave is highly scenic as viewed by visitors from public vantage points in Acadia National Park and by boaters in Frenchman Bay. Covered by spruce and fir, the island rises moderately to a highpoint of 147 feet. There are also attractive anchoring locations for picnic sites at the preserve’s many pebble and cobble beaches. Currently, there is no formal trail network on the preserve. However, there are footpaths along three, cleared property lines traversing the preserve in an east-west direction.

How this place became open to the public

MCHT has acquired the Stave Island Preserve in stages: the first 80 acres were conserved in 2002, an additional 25 in 2009, and another 16 in 2016.